Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-04-22

uateS Tor them. save the entries love
made in their mental diaries. They in
their JOY thought that time was asleep
while the world went glad.
Paris at last, reserved for the carnival
of the honeymoon! They were welcomed
eagerly by the American colony, and
plunged at once into the gayeties of the
great capital. They had each other, and
their love, and Herbert had the powders
and the prescription. Headaches came
to him. but they were soon quoted by a
powder, or at most two When the
medicine was exhausted there was the
prescription. 1t lay like a coat of mail
over his heart and through it no hostile
dart of pain could penetrate and kill the
Joy of his health and the ecstasy of his
honeymoon.
One day the powders were exhausted.
A ball the night before had kept Herbert
and his wife up until the morning. He
awoke in the middle of the day with an
unusually violent headache. He took a
powder. the last one he had, hut expert
enced no relief SO he slipped quietly
with the prescription.
The pharmacist shrugged his shoulders
and smiled.
You forget the penalty he said.
1.-The penalty" Herbert queried.
"Oui. monsieur. that is opium.
Opium Herbert fairly shrieked, as
he threw himself headlong across the
counter and lay there limp. "Opium, :"
he groaned. My wife-my bride, God
pity her!''
The druggist assisted him to seat
and then compassionatcly offered him
small quantity of the drug. Herbert re-
fused to accept it,
Never again, he moaned. Il will
never take it again. But my wife, how
shall l tell her: My poor wife, the bride
of an opium eater!"
He refused again the drug proffered by
the sympathizing pharmacist, and tottered
into the street.
AN opium eater, and I did not know
it. Betrayed by friend' Again and
again he repeated the words, as he wan
dered aimlessly through the streets. His
look grew wild and he felt that he was
attracting attention. His strange mutter-
ings and eccentric ways might lead to his
dl itSl. ~ Dt Cdlltll IL eau anu W tS uIlNeD
to his hotel.
The knowledge that he was nearing his
wife, and the resolution to disclose to her
the truth, gave his look firmness and his
face the determined expression of one
steadfast in purpose. His wife was wait
ing for him to breakfast with her. She
wore morning robe in which heretofore
she had appeared surprisingly beautiful.
Strange to say, the dress seemed positively
ugly. and his wife S face had lost much
of its charm.
"Only the vision of an opium eater, :"
he moaned as he threw himself into a
chair by table and buried his face in
his arms.
His wife fastened to him. and asked
if he were ill. but he heard another voice
sweeter far than that whose heretofore
had been more dulcet music to him. His
wife's tones were harsh and discordant
while those of the tempter were soft, per-
suasive and harmonious with his desires.
My God. what revelation it is, he
cried out in anguish. "All the happi-
ness of the past months only the dreams
of an opium eater
lItll ilC loSts anu WIFI EYES llAttl OIl
her anxious face he, with stern resolu-
ton, and needless of the tempter's plead
ings to resort to the drug for escape from
his woes, told the whole story to his
frightened wife.
believe me. Eleanor. when | asked
you to become my wife. when | led YOU
to the altar and there pledged anew my
fidelity for you. and avowed again my
love for you, even when | babe the
traitor friend adieu on the deck of the
steamer, even then did not know | was
an opium eater. Nor did l know it at
any time until the druggist this morning
revealed to me the horrible truth. DO
you believe me. Eleanor
He advanced and seized her hand.
Somehow the action and his fierce look
seemed to mean. If you do not l will
go back to the drug"
But it was easy for her to declare faith
in his words. She knew he told the
truth and convinced him that she did not
dissemble.
THANK you, dear, for your trust Now
will you help me break the coils of this
habit
ItS, NY huSi'dilu L VIII Dt 10 you Il
real woman, the wife of your actual life,
and not vision of the drug. fanciful,
mayhap beautiful, but nevertheless dis
torted | would much prefer you to con-
slider me the homeliest woman on earth.
if | can be to you the companion and the
solace of this your great trial
Then get ready at once to go home.
Say nothing to any one of the reason of
your departure.
She interrupted:
MY departure? Do you not go. too?'
"Yes. but by slower way. l shall
take a sailing vessel.
Then l, too, take passage in the
sailer."
mo! | must be alone. This fight is
between me and the craving for opium,
which even now is gnawing as if it would
tear out my vitals You will obey me in
this?''
Il am your wife. You are the uncon-
scious victim of a terrible habit. Ny
place is by your side while you strive &c
overcome it.
mo, not so, Eleanor, | do not want
to fall in love with my nurse, but | want
to come to you sane man and see with
-. Il